i have a hp officejet 4500 wireless printer. i have checked and it is connected to the network. it is still showing offline. i have reinstalled and it is telling me now the WSD print device needs to be installed. Can someone help me what is the WSD print device????

A WSD (Web Services on Device) is a type of monitor used for the computer to help it understand certain wireless functions. From what I understand about the 4500 Wireless it doesn't really need this unless you are using Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008. I have installed a lot of Officejet 4500s and have never seen this so I had to look it up.

Are you able to print now or is it still giving you an error like "Offline" or that you need to install the WSD? If so, what is the operating system of your computer? If it is Windows Vista, you may want to uninstall the printer from the Control Panel, reboot the computer, and download (save and run) the Full Feature Software and Drivers at www.hp.com/support. The WSD would be included in that download once you select your OS.

I'll be more than happy to help you with either error if you are still having problems.

Thank you for your reply. I will check tonight but I think it is Windows 7. You are the first to reply so I have not tried anything yet. I will try your recommendation below and follow up once this is completed.

VisionAiry, Again, thank you for your reply and willing to help. I have no clue.

I'm more than happy to help! So, this is just assuming that your computer is windows 7, next thing is to find out if it is 32-bit or 64-bit. In case you don't know how to check, click on the start button (windows icon) and you will see "Computer" above the Control Panel. Right-click over the word "Computer" and a gray pop-up box appears. At the bottom is "Properties." Left-click on "Properties" and a bigger window opens to display Windows 7 at the top and "System Type" half-way through. At this time, you may want to go ahead and uninstall the printer driver that is giving you this error from the control panel>>Programs>>Uninstall.

Here is a link to the Officejet 4500 Wireless G510n Full Feature Software and Drivers for a Windows 7 64-bit computer. Please make sure that is what you have before you download, save and run this. The reason I think you are getting something about a WSD device error could be that the printer's software disc is older than the operating system of your computer. This download will ensure you get the most up-to-date drivers for your printer and hopefully you will be printing again. The entire process shouldn't take more than an hour to uninstall, reboot computer if necessary, download, extract, install and print.

I assume you want to setup the printer up wirelessly, so make sure to use the Wireless Setup Wizard on the front panel of the printer before you try to install the printer. If you have done that already, then just make sure it is still wireless by printing a report like the Printer Status Report. Specifically, you are looking for an IP address for confirmation (ex. 192.168.xx.xx or 10.0.0.x). Let me know if you have any problems with that error afterwards, as it could get rather complicated if it comes back after you try these steps.

Select the correct operating system (ex. Windows 7 32-bit) and you will want to download, save, extract and run the Full Feature Software and Drivers. You can still customize the installation if you don't want extra features like HP Supplies or the Bing Toolbar but you may already have these. I hope this helps!

In a previous post from March 2013, Error with WSD Print Device. I also have a problem with an error on Windows Vista "WSD Print Device is not letting your compouter go into standby" where printer is Officejet 6500 wireless. It suggests updating driver. The 2013 suggested uninstall printer and and reinstalling. I have the latest driver already installed. Another thought was the printer driver was older than the Windows OS .... well that doesn't seem unusual. Printer works OK but would really like standby. Should I just uninstall WSD Print Device?

I tried setting the Officejet 6500 manualy to a static IP address and it had no effect on the computer failing to go into sleep mode due to WSD Print Device (not suprising). Next I turned off the wireless (radio) function and used ethernet hardwire connection. Same problem.

So, while I still don't know what WSD is supposed to do, could I just delete WSD and use wired network?

Yeah you can uninstall it. It stands for web service device which is like a generic driver for a Windows PC, I presume. I have found it virtually useless in my experience as long as you have a driver for printing (like the printer software that came with it).

Let me know if uninstalling that causes other issues but I truly doubt it will.